I am going to maintain this thread for the current,new and potential AIOS owners, I am aasoror from Canadian RFD, Patriot PBO forums, PBO wiki, Pivos forums and AIOS wiki.

I know there is already an existing thread for the AIOS, but it was more of a question thread than a product discussion (not to mention that I needed access to the OP to be able to maintain the thread properly).

Packaging:
Nicely double backed, high end looking design with flashing logos thrown on every side of the box.

Unboxing:
How much would a 3' HDMI cable add to the cost of this box ? around the same price of any of the included cables
Manual is exceptionally well written for this class of devices.
There is a quick installation guide too, which *interestingly* claims a USB webcam support !! :-0 :facepalm:

The device:
Nice metal casing, not flashy and would easily fit within a typical home theater setup.
LCD screen ? such a disappointingly tiny display especially with such an empty front (which contains nothing beside the power button). You could easily fit a 2/3 lines display on the front of this player.
The box is considerably big (due to the supported 3.5" HDD), see below how it compares to a PBO and a standard slime external drive.

Remote control:
This is most thing I hate about this box. Not only isn't unjustifiably big, but also the button placement makes absolutely no sense, compare with the PBO to envy the PBO owners
And whats with the unused buttons ?! the manual said the 4 buttons are for the DTV model. Why they heck should a remote for a device has buttons for some yet to be release device, especially that the remote is not a universal one.

Firmware:
I wont elaborate that much into this, there has already been one firmware released beside the one that is shipped with the box. There is also a new firmware that is promised tomorrow. So I will just highlight two main points and keep the full review for the new firmware.
1. BR-ISO (50GB) works beautifully over GB network (resides on a modest DNS-321), no stutter, pauses, smooth as silk and full menu support too.
2. (Didn't test bitstreaming) But DTS-MA does work from the ISO, but doesn't work on MKV (though the display button shows DTS-5.1 for both files). This must be a bug, as the firmware setting menu has an option for DTS-HD (7.1/5.1 core).
3. Logitech wifi mouse worked without a problem.

To put it in a nutshell (IMHO) for those who already own a PBO, here is where the AIOS shines:
- If you have many ripped BRs (direct copy), the PBO will only play the longest track unless you go and individually select the streams. This is a worthy upgrade.
- If you have an HDD that you want to load, you can now load "over the network" in reasonable rates. This is a worthy upgrade.
- If you think the GUI 2.0 on the ACRBO is cool but too laggy for your taste, GUI 2.0 is very smooth on the AIOS. This is a worthy upgrade.
- If you are stuck with SD (composite) on your EDTV with the PBO, the AIOS has component port for your EDTV (480p). This is a worthy upgrade.
- If you want to watch YT-XL or have interest in logging to facebook from your big screen TV.
- If you are like me an early PBO adopter and hate your inability to bitstream HD-Audio, AIOS can bitstream HD-Audio without a problem. This is a worthy upgrade.
- If you are sick of PM support (or lack of) for the PBO, pivos is a new player with a single product to sell, so currently that's their bread and butter, so its not unreasonable to expect some serious development (on the firmware side).

To sum up, the AIOS is one step up the PBO in every single direction, but whether it would make a difference for you depends on your current usage.

For those who don't own a PBO and are willing to pay $89.99 for WDTV Live+, better think twice

p.s. I hate the remote, they must have paid someone to purposely mess it up, there is no way you can do so many placement mistakes in any single remote control (beside tossing a coin for button functionality assignment).

Thats all for now, more to come after the update.

Update 11/3:
- Hacking unleashed, google for the AIOS WIKI.
- Pivos released multiple firmwares since release each dealing with "some" of the reported problems, while not yet quite there but they are certainly on the right grades.

Update 11/25:
- Semiofficial firmwares dealing with several bugs (adds metafeeds and nzbget).
- DTS-MA in MKV still doesn't work (apparently Realtek was notified and they are still waiting for a fix from them).
- Java (BD 2.0) menus not supported (and wont be), remember to switch BD menus to "simple" from setup if the disc have Java menus else the longest track will be picked up and played.
- Community managed to provide a replacement skin (yay).
- Arabic and Hebrew srt subs not working, they are working on a fix, but meanwhile one can use txt2vob to convert the srt subs to idx/sub files compatible with the AIOS.

Update 1/7:
- Latest semiofficial firmware (R15) adds movie jukebox (check uploaded pictures).
- Official firmware has working poster/coverart view mode as well a new NFS server scanner.
- Arabic and Hebrew srt subs are now supported.
- Pivos released bootcode update (B18) to fix scrambled bootup splash screen, this is very beneficial as we can now monitor firmware updates of HDMI.
- Price went down to $88 (in Canada) including wifi N adapter during the boxing week, customer base is certainly getting wider with these deep discount sales.

Update 2/1:- it was reported on AVS that HD bit streaming (DD TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) works now on both in ISO and MKV containers (base firmware 2.8.3.2)

Update 2/25:- new firmware release 3.0.1.7 which fixes that playon UPnP server bug, this is important for those who want to stream netflix, hulu or amazon vod to the AIOS.

Update 3/24:- if you haven't checked already semiofficial R18 is already out, be sure to check the extended internet streaming feeds (literally hundreds of new channels, access to Justin.tv among many other additions).

Update 5/14:- R19 is out, with updated IMS contents and more bugfixes and features.

Update: 5/31: (Remote control)The original disastrous remote (check the pictures) is now updated, the one getting shipped with the AIOS now has glow-in-the-dark buttons, better button placement and extra unassigned buttons are now removed.

PANIC RECOVERY:
1) Download the latest firmware file
2) Unzip and copy “INSTALL.IMG” file to the ROOT directory of a USB pen drive e.g. P:\\install.img (assuming P is the drive letter for pen drive).
3) Do not turn on the Media Center
4) Connect the pen drive to the AIOS HD Media Center.
5) Set the REAR power switch to the OFF position and then Press the front Power Button for 5 seconds.
6) Turn ON the rear power switch while continue holding down the front Power Button for 5 more seconds.
7) Release the front power button.
8) Your TV MAY immediately turn black during the process. Please make sure DO NOT power off the AIOS HD Media Center and DO NOT REMOVE the pen drive.
*Note: to view the update process if your TV turns black, connect the composite cable should display the process.
9) Firmware update should take about 2-3 minutes and the Media Center should reboot after the process is finished.

Hey good to know you are dedicating this thread to the AIOS. If I can figure out how to do the jukebox on it, ill return my mede8er since it pretty much the same with the exception that mede8er is more responsive, will play ISO TV shows, and the interface is a little nicer.

But I'm very happy with my AIOS and for the price it beats the mede8er. Do you have a dummy how to set up the jukebox?

I think the direct IP trick should work for the Aios too if you haven't tried it yet. I'm trying not to complicate my life more then it already is right now so I haven't tried the jukebox other then seeing it is an option now. I spent most of last weekend fighting with trying to add a second router to my network and finally Sunday I figured it out and it was simply plugging the out going wire from my new wifi/giga router to my old 8 port 10/100 VPN router.
I hooked it from one of the ports of the new one to the main input port of the old one and the WDTV Live I was trying to hook back up would not detect the network even when I manually entered what it needed. I had already disabled DCHP so it should have acted like a switch, then finally I just hooked the new one to a random regular port on the old one and then it auto detected and now works fine over the network.
Anyways I think the mede8ter and this guy use the same chip so everything should be pretty similar including issues.

Hi everyone. This looks like a very interesting device for the price. Does anyone have it running on a network with a Synology NAS? I'm curious about compatibility before plopping now more $ on my little hobby-experiment. Thanks

But I'm very happy with my AIOS and for the price it beats the mede8er. Do you have a dummy how to set up the jukebox?

First you need to scrap the movies and create the proper sheets (check "Simple Movie wall and Share Bookmarks").
If your movies are over the network then you need to map them first (check "How to: Bookmark Network Folder").
Finally you create the jukebox (check "Movie Jukebox for the AIOS").

All mentioned threads are linked in the 3rd post above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wekurtz74

Hi everyone. This looks like a very interesting device for the price. Does anyone have it running on a network with a Synology NAS? I'm curious about compatibility before plopping now more $ on my little hobby-experiment. Thanks

I'm getting more and more interested in this player and would like to order it. At $89 it's worth the experiment because the feature list is impressive vs. the WD Live players I have now. I rip my BD to .m2ts and gusgus confirmed in another thread that it bitstreams both DTS-HD and TrueHD. I also read from you that it has no problem streaming full bitrate 1080p over the network from NAS and that it is a DLNA player. That covers all my BluRay bases.

Let me ask you about DVD.iso. I use DVD for TV series and rip all my disks as full-disk DVD.iso. The WD Live will play these with full DVD menu support -- it plays the .iso as if I put the disk in a DVD player. I use the menus to select the episodes I want to watch.

So, the last question that will get me to pull the trigger -- does this play full-disk DVD.iso rips with full menu support?

- kelson h

The bitterness of poor quality lasts long after the sweetness of the low price is forgotten . . . life is too short to drink bad wine

Let me ask you about DVD.iso. I use DVD for TV series and rip all my disks as full-disk DVD.iso. The WD Live will play these with full DVD menu support -- it plays the .iso as if I put the disk in a DVD player. I use the menus to select the episodes I want to watch.

DVD ISO are fully supported with menus (even on the earlier 1073 boxes).

Quote:

Originally Posted by GusGus748s

I'm having issue...or should I say, I've got no idea how to use telnet to AIOS.

If you are on a windows machine then open a command prompt and type "telnet IP_of_AIOS" you can get the AIOS IP from the setup -> info screens.

when prompted for a username use "root", when asked for a password just press enter.

For further discussion regarding the jukebox setup please keep posting on the jukebox thread on the official forums, I will follow up there.

Thanks aasoror. Ill try it when I get home in the morning. Im at work . Another quick question is there a way to make the remote be more responsive/faster. At times I push a button and it doesn't respond and when I push the button again it moves over too far.

Another quick question is there a way to make the remote be more responsive/faster. At times I push a button and it doesn't respond and when I push the button again it moves over too far.

Some have reported this though I haven't experienced it on any of my 3 boxes, the only lag that I sometime experience is through the apps section when the box is initially buffering or trying to retrieve contents.

Might be remote related because those using a harmony has not reported issues as well.

NCIX now also has a official USA web site for those of us on this side of the border. I have ordered things from the Canadian site before and other then taking a bit longer then usual it was a great price at the time and they worked with me on the timing issue so a great place to deal with either way.

Thanks for the tip Dartman.
I just checked the US NCIX does have the same deal as well ($100 including free ground shipping).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dartman

NCIX now also has a official USA web site for those of us on this side of the border. I have ordered things from the Canadian site before and other then taking a bit longer then usual it was a great price at the time and they worked with me on the timing issue so a great place to deal with either way.

That sucks. I've decided to keep the Mede8er. So, I'll have the AIOS and Mede8er as media players.

A couple of my friends are interested on the AIOS due to price purposes and jukebox, but they are waiting for me to finish setting up the jukebox, which I've got no idea when that's going to happen since I can't complete my network shares via telnet

I got so upset with it that I flashed it back with the XtrAIOS UI lol.

With the XtrAIOS I've got no problems getting my shares via "NETWORK SHARES." I click on network shares and all my shared folders are there. With the AIOS semi-official FW, I've got to add them via IP to my favorites. I can't find them via WORKGROUP.

I'm interested in this player but have read about hdd compatibility issues. If I take a hdd out of the pc and plug it in the aios, it won't work because the aios can only work with hdd partitioned/formatted to its own way.

Am I mistaken about this? If not, will this be corrected in a future firmware? The hdd I'm using is a WD 3TB hdd partitioned in gparted with GUID partition table (GPT) and a single 3TB NTFS partition.